Termite Inspection & Control

Termites eat wood and can consequently cause great structural damage to your home if left unchecked. A typical homeowner's insurance policy does not cover destruction caused by termites, even though they cause over 1 billion dollars in damage to homes throughout the United States each year. Our inspections can help you understand the threat of termites, and take the necessary steps to protect your home.

Termite Inspection

You can’t assume your home is termite-free just because you’ve never seen them – they only swarm once or twice a year, and you might miss it! We thoroughly inspect your home or business, looking for the tell-tale signs of termite infestation. Some of the things we look for are:

• Mud tubes built for traveling above ground
• Dry Rot, damaged or hollow-sounding wood
• Pinholes in drywall or wallpaper
• Small piles of sawdust
• Piles of small wings
• Other specific termite indicators

In addition, we offer Real Estate termite inspections.

Termite Treatments To control these unwanted pests; we provide an effective treatment plan, which may include:

• Exterior Protection - a continuous chemical barrier is created around the exterior of your home or building to keep termites from entering
• Direct Contact - as possible, we apply chemicals directly to the pests
• Insect Growth - we apply chemicals which duplicate the insect's natural hormones to disrupt their growth and development

Termite Facts

Subterranean termites are extremely destructive. First they build tunnels to wooden structures, and then they burrow into those structures to obtain food. Any wood or cellulose-containing material constitutes termite food, and given time to do so, they’ll eat until nothing is left but a shell. Termites avoid light and air, so they build their colonies where you’re not likely to stumble upon them. Is it a termite or an ant? On the off chance you do see them, remember that it’s easy to confuse termites with ants. Fortunately, there are features that distinguish them.

Ants	Termites
narrow waists	thick waists
bent antennae	straight antennae
two sets of wings (one wing is longer than the other)	two sets of wings (same size)

Fumigation Information

Congratulations- you have made the responsible decision to eliminate all of the Drywood termites or Powderpost Beetles in your home by choosing whole-structure fumigation with *Vikane or *Zythor gas fumigant. You can feel pride that you have chosen the No. 1 whole-structure treatment for Drywood Termites and Powderpost Beetles.

There are some preparations that you will need to complete prior to your fumigation, including bagging food and other items, removing pets and plants and arranging for lodging. Discuss what exact preparations will be expected of you with your fumigation professional.

Trust your decision to treat your home with *Vikane or *Zythor gas fumigant.

• 100 percent elimination of Drywood termites and/or Powderpost beetles
• Proven effective in more than 2 million structures
• Nearly 50 years of trusted fumigation expertise * Vikane
• Administered by trained, knowledgeable fumigation experts
• Backed by service and support unparalleled in the industry

MAKE THE BEST OUT OF YOUR DECISION TO ELIMINATE YOUR DRYWOOD TERMITE OR POWDERPOST BEETLE PROBLEMS WITH *VIKANE OR *ZYTHOR GAS FUMIGANT.

The peace of mind that comes from knowing a home will be free of drywood termites and/or Powderpost beetles requires preparing it for whole-structure fumigation with *Vikane or * Zythor gas fumigant. Preparation involves bagging food, removing pets and plants, and arranging for lodging. Many homeowners take this opportunity to clean out clutter and get away or visit family. Here are some ideas to consider as part of the preparation process.

BAGGING FOOD AND OTHER ITEMS

Bagging food and other items in special Nylofume bags, as directed by your fumigation professional, is an essential step when preparing for whole-structure fumigation. Here are some suggestions for making bagging fun, easy and rewarding.

• Throw a party to get rid of extra food and any beverages in opened bottles.
• Search the Internet for recipes for creative dishes you can make with the food you have.
• Donate any unneeded/unwanted food to charity.

WHY BUILDINGS ARE FUMIGATED

Insects that feed or tunnel into wood can seriously damage houses, apartments, and other dwellings or structures. Each year termites or other wood destroying insects damage more than 5 million homes. Depending on the extent or location of the infestation, fumigation is the only total control method proven to eliminate certain infestations of wood destroying insects.

HOW BUILDINGS ARE FUMIGATED

Because *Vikane or * Zythor is a gas, prior to fumigation, the structure is completely sealed. This serves to contain the gas in the building so it can penetrate wood thoroughly and eliminate the pests. Depending on the construction of the building, the doors and windows may be sealed with tape and plastic sheet, or the structure may be covered with a tarp. The building will remain sealed for 3-5 days depending on the specifics of the job. Warning signs are posted around the building notifying people to keep out.

After the tarp of tape is removed, a professional fumigator will aerate the structure by opening the doors and windows. Fans are also be used to clear out the building. Once the dwelling has been thoroughly aerated, the fumigator is required to measure the level of any fumigant remaining in the living space to ensure it is below the EPA approved concentration for reentry by the occupants. Extremely low levels of fumigant can remain for a short period of time in dead air spaces between walls and inside cabinets as well as porous materials such as furniture. The small amount of fumigant in these areas will continue to dissipate for a few hours after the fumigation but as levels well below the established safe reentry concentration. Your building will not be cleared for reoccupancy until it is safe to enter. The fumigator will post a notice on your building indicating the day and time for reentry. Structures can be occupied only when the concentration is 1 part per million or less (this represents a margin of safety-laboratory animals have been exposed to 100 parts per million for 2 weeks with no adverse effects.) Because Vikane is a true gas and not a vapor, aeration is rapid. Recent studies demonstrated that in most structures levels are less that 1 part per million within 6 hours of clearing and have no detectable levels of *Vikane or *Zythor within 24 hours after the start of aeration.

Sulfuryl fluoride is a colorless, odorless gas, so a warning agent is added to the building that causes watery eyes and a scratchy throat. If you experience these symptoms in a structure that has been recently fumigated, you should leave immediately and call the pest control company to have your building retested.

Safety Precautions and Homeowner Preparation

• Discuss the treatment program in advance with your pest control company so you fully understand what will be done and what you need to do
• Carefully follow the instructions you are given about what items you are to remove from your building.
• Stay out of the treated building until it is cleared for reentry.
• If you are interested or concerned, you should ask your pest control company to show the records of how your building was aerated before it was cleared for reentry.
• You may wish to increase ventilation by opening doors and windows.

If you have specific questions about your fumigation, refer to documents provided by the fumigator or call the fumigator listed on the warning signs posted on your structure if you need additional information or have questions concerning this product.